Boehner: I disagree with Palin about impeaching Obama

posted at 12:41 pm on July 9, 2014 by Allahpundit

Via CNS News. Byron York had a post this morning wondering if Boehner would take impeachment off the table for Obama the same way Pelosi did for Bush despite the clamoring on the left at the time. Answer: Yes, of course! That’s the whole point of Boehner’s lawsuit, right? He wants to do something bold to show conservatives that he’s resisting Obama’s power grabs, but not so bold that it’ll blow up in the GOP’s face in November. The lawsuit is the perfect gesture. It gives him an excuse to rail against executive overreach publicly while booting the disposition of the matter to the courts. If they rule against him, it’s the judiciary’s fault, not his. And if it takes a year or more for the case to wend its way up to the Supreme Court, even better. It’s off his plate, which is what’s important. (Said Palin to Hannity last night, “You don’t bring a lawsuit to a gunfight, and there’s no room for lawyers on our front lines.”) For him to turn around and agree with Palin on impeachment after all that would be bizarre. Why pursue a circuitous legal route to rein in Obama if he’s prepared to try to remove him from office entirely?

Republican Iowa U.S. Senate candidate Joni Ernst attempted Tuesday night to walk back statements made at a January event in which she said President Barack Obama had “become a dictator” who should be “removed from office” or face “impeachment.”…

“To be clear, I have not seen any evidence that the President should be impeached,” the statement read…

“I was asked a question involving a hypothetical about what I thought should happen if the Supreme Court ruled that the president had committed an ‘abuse of power.’ Obviously if the Supreme Court were to ever rule that the President of the United States had abused their power, that would be a very serious charge,” Ernst said in the statement. “I responded by saying that if the court in fact made such a ruling, that the president should face the necessary repercussions. I would give the same answer about any president, Republican or Democrat.”

There are, surely, some GOPers in Congress willing to agree publicly with Palin that Obama must go. Just don’t expect it from anyone who’s running for office in a state or district where Republicans winning the general election is in the tiniest bit of doubt. Exit question: Could Boehner’s impeachment-avoidance strategy end up backfiring if he loses his lawsuit? Imagine a federal judge rules that the House’s dispute with O over executive power is a political question that should either be decided by the people at the polls or by the people’s representatives through their Article I powers — which, of course, includes impeachment. The courts will have essentially punted this issue back to Boehner and told him, a la Erick Erickson, to man up and accept the political risk of trying to remove the president if he’s allegedly so troubled by executive overreach. What’s Boehner’s move then? Use the power of the purse to choke off funding for Obama’s priorities and quietly ignore impeachment altogether, right?

Here’s the clip from this morning’s House leadership presser. Boehner’s facial expressions when the subject is raised are comedy gold.

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Sarah knew that most GOP’ers would disagree with her, which is why she directed her comments toward the American people …

“It’s time to impeach; and on behalf of American workers and legal immigrants of all backgrounds, we should vehemently oppose any politician on the left or right who would hesitate in voting for articles of impeachment.” – Sarah Palin

“Impeachment” is a waste of time. UNLESS you can actually win and remove the guy.

1) Can’t win.. Democrat Senate
2) If you do win, the clown gets the big chair.

The whole gang needs to be in prison. There are probably lots of violations of Federal law that could be prosecuted by the few honest feds. But brains and backbones are surgically removed when you get your first federal paycheck.

Not really surprising that any of the seated politicians aren’t prepared to jump on-board an impeachment train. It would take something horrible that could be specifically linked to some action/inaction of Obama to nudge the chickens into action. Palin is just serving as the firebrand expressing the anger of part of the voters, something Boehner and his crowd only do if it’s from the “right” kind of voters.

It would be an exercise in futility for the House to try to impeach, since it would just die in the Senate with Harry Reid.

If voters are serious, the fastest route to impeachment is to elect a Republican majority in the Senate. Here in Utah, we already have two Republican Senators, so the rest of the country needs to get with the program if impeachment is ever going to happen.

Sarah knew that most GOP’ers would disagree with her, which is why she directed her comments toward the American people …

“It’s time to impeach; and on behalf of American workers and legal immigrants of all backgrounds, we should vehemently oppose any politician on the left or right who would hesitate in voting for articles of impeachment.” – Sarah Palin

Pork-Chop on July 9, 2014 at 12:52 PM

Brilliant post.

Unfortunately, we have many here who view
everything thru the Prism of Politics, all optics, all the time.

It’s all a Game, doncha know….this woman speaks for the
American People…a lost Art, that was last seen…

It doesn’t. Obama has basically opened our borders to every refugee from Latin America who wants to come here, yet hardly anyone claiming to be on our side thinks that’s an impeachable offense(on top of all the other crimes and scandals).

“To be clear, I have not seen any evidence that the President should be impeached,…”

O has to be loving this. The world is his oyster.

JellyToast on July 9, 2014 at 12:47 PM

Obi-WanObama-Won: These aren’t the droids This is not the evidence you’re looking for.StormtrooperWeepy: These aren’t the droids This isn’t the evidence we’re looking for.Obi-WanObama-Won: He You can go about his your business.Stormtrooper Weepy: You I can go about your my business.Obi-Wan Obama-Won: Move along.Stormtrooper Weepy : I’ll move along… move along.

Sarah knew that most GOP’ers would disagree with her, which is why she directed her comments toward the American people …

“It’s time to impeach; and on behalf of American workers and legal immigrants of all backgrounds, we should vehemently oppose any politician on the left or right who would hesitate in voting for articles of impeachment.” – Sarah Palin
Pork-Chop on July 9, 2014 at 12:52 PM

Exactly, so how is it that her very calculated comments are seen as her being “silly” or “crazy”.
HotAir pundits might disagree with her but she’s no body’s fool.

BTW. Breitbart got over 10K comments on the Palin story
Is that where all of the conservatives are going?

Sarah knew that most GOP’ers would disagree with her, which is why she directed her comments toward the American people …

“It’s time to impeach; and on behalf of American workers and legal immigrants of all backgrounds, we should vehemently oppose any politician on the left or right who would hesitate in voting for articles of impeachment.” – Sarah Palin

Pork-Chop on July 9, 2014 at 12:52 PM

Republican bloggers don’t get this. Liberals get it but are pretending not to in order to express dramatic outrage.

That GOPeers around here think she expects actual impeachment to happen or that her asking for it will make it so is laughable. They’re just angry someone has a different strategy besides the usual GOP policy of not rocking the boat.

No candidate is going to want her endorsement now. They will not publicly say they are for impeachment.

It’s been a nice run Sarah. Good luck.

Obama and the GOPe are jumping with glee today.

faraway on July 9, 2014 at 1:00 PM

Maybe, but it also forces the Republicans to put their money where their mouth is. If they’re really concerned about executive overreach, what are they prepared to do about it? And no, a lawsuit that goes nowhere for the next year is not a sufficient course of action.

No, absolutely not, Impeachment is not the hill to die on, in fact, there are no hills to die on.

“If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen.”
― Samuel Adams

If Obama is not impeached, then the articles of impeachment mean nothing. What he has done is the most egregious destruction of the rule of law and The Constitution.

If he is not impeached, then you might as well not have articles of impeachment. What would it take for a President to be impeached, then?

Theophile on July 8, 2014 at 11:21 PM

After a certain point (a point surpassed quite some time ago), the politics have to take a back seat to some simple truth. Obama has committed dozens of impeachable offenses. It just doesn’t matter that Boehner is too cowardly or too far up Barack’s backside to act on it, the need to state as fact that the President ought to be impeached is compelling. It doesn’t matter that there aren’t enough votes in the Senate to convict, regardless what is enacted by the House, the Constitution is screaming for someone to defend it, and it seems that no current federal officeholder is up to complying with their Oath, so somebody must speak out.

And every one of you cowards who has a reason why it shouldn’t be done, you make me sick. Justice demands that this carnival act of a President be held responsible for his crimes against the Constitution. The rule of law, that thing that every conservative knows is more important than politics, demands that the law be enforced. Since this administration will not, somebody must.

OT: remember the VA scandal? The one where vets are dying on hidden wait lists? The House Veterans Affairs Committee held a hearing yesterday and the first panel included four whistleblowers. Their opening statements will should astound and sicken you.

I tweeted @EdMorrissy about it. Maybe he will see fit to report on those statements. Nobody else has.

How many extra black votes can the Democrats really get out of the population at this point by impeaching Obama? How many more conservative voters and their get out the vote efforts can the Republican party afford to lose by remaining a center left political party?

As was pointed out on the Palin thread yesterday, the entire impeachment mechanism is predicated on, and dependent upon, a society and a government that still holds no one to be above or exempt from the rule of law. That USED to be our society. It is no longer.

I advocate nor suggest anything with this, but to address brazen lawlessness of this magnitude requires something more than appeals to law and rules, which is what impeachment is.

Maybe, but it also forces the Republicans to put their money where their mouth is. If they’re really concerned about executive overreach, what are they prepared to do about it? And no, a lawsuit that goes nowhere for the next year is not a sufficient course of action.

Doughboy on July 9, 2014 at 1:08 PM

The GOP has no interest in doing anything to upset the left’s agenda. Everything the GOP does is meant to appease the right enough to allow the left’s agenda to continue apace. So, they’ll start a lawsuit that goes nowhere (or do “investigations” that go nowhere – see IRS and/or Fast and Furious), which will be enough to make most on the right happy.

the GOP is a leftist party, a full-fledged subsidiary of the left. The GOP’s sole purpose is to claim conservatism in speeches and fund-raising appeals in order to divest conservatives of money and appease conservatives into thinking they are represented in the Gov’t.

In practice, the GOP has never pursued any conservative policy and fights conservatives and conservatism on every front, rather than ever fighting the left’s agenda.

But, I’m sure if we just keep the faith this time it will be different. You see, the GOP “can’t” advocate or pursue conservative goals because it doesn’t have the senate. then it will be because it doesn’t have the WH.

then? Well, looking at 2000-2006 they’ll say the majorities they have aren’t big enough, or they’ll say that pursuing conservative policy will jeopardize the house and/or senate majority. And conservatives will play along like the fools they are.

Never asking “what is the point of voting GOP”?

but of course, it is childish and truecon(R) perfectionism to say so. the idea of actually wanting the GOP to try and advance conservative policy and goals is tres gauche for the smart set of GOP apologists who pretend to be conservative.

Geez. The House is writing up a federal lawsuit right now to challenge Obama. And Trey Gowdy is getting ready for his Benghazi hearings.

Now Palin drops this losing strategy in our lap.

The dems are loving this.

RUexperienced on July 9, 2014 at 1:15 PM

Too funny. A lawsuit?

Hearings? How long have Behghazi hearings been going on now? How about the IRS hearings? Or the Fast and Furious hearings.

that is all nothing more than kabuki theater by the GOP/DNC alliance cooked up to keep conservatives quiet.

But, let’s pretend these things have meaning and are “strategy” by the GOP to accomplish something.

It’s amusing how deluded most alleged conservatives are.

Let’s not forget that as Boehner does this lawsuit over his “outrage” about Obama giving a de facto amnesty, Boehner has been perfectly honest that he wants amnesty. So – knowing that – do you truly believe the lawsuit is anything other than a con job?

No impeachment talk, it’s just dumb right now. Do something about things you can actually do. Like arrest Lois Lerner.

Cindy Munford on July 9, 2014 at 12:45 PM

Cindy, you are correct. Loathsome and lawless as he is, Obama’s impeachment, without a conviction and removal from office, will be worthless, and will make him into a political martyr. Moreover, simply being impeached will not induce Obama to change his behavior one bit.

Now, with Lois Lerner? The House should immediately arrest and jail her under its inherent contempt power.

I like Joni Ernst and believe/hope she has a bright future in the Senate. But she definitely should/needs to understand certain bedrock truths a bit better and speak accordingly if she wants to be in The Show.

This party is so screwed. Between the establishment and the blind zealots, we really are utterly incapable of playing the game in a way that is tactically smart, yet ideologically sound.

blatantblue on July 9, 2014 at 1:20 PM

Perhaps if the establishment were not so deceitful and were not creature of big gov’t, the “blind zealots” would trust them to “play the game”?

The assumption you make here – which is completely false – is that the GOP wants the same things as conservatives. The GOP does not. The GOP is a big-gov’t party that hates the idea of reducing the size, scope or cost of gov’t. Therefore, no matter what, the GOP’s “strategy” is never to achieve conservative goals.

So, you are correct about one thing – we are incapable of playing the game in a tactically smart, ideologically sound manner. Because the GOP is not on the same team as conservatives.

that is not to say that all conservative ideas are tactically sound, but it doesn’t matter. As long as the GOP exists in its current form, conservative ideas will never actually be pursued.

I’m hoping against hope that the GOP will elect a leader that isn’t an alcoholic kleptocrat and that the GOP will stand with its base to fight the liberal left instead of embracing it. With people like you ruining the party, it isn’t likely.

No impeachment talk, it’s just dumb right now. Do something about things you can actually do. Like arrest Lois Lerner.

Cindy Munford on July 9, 2014 at 12:45 PM

I think that might be one of the problems though. The house can order her arrest or find her in contempt, but isn’t it the Attorney General who has to carry it out? Considering that Holder is his boss’ stooge and is as corrupt as his boss. I don’t see it happening.